


Tex Padalecki and the Vase of Nubia

by zubeneschamali



Series: Tex Padalecki [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Indiana Jones AU, M/M, cat!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8477422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: Jensen has come into contact with another artifact that has an unusual effect on him. Instead of binding him to his greatest rival, though, it has a slightly more…feline effect.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dugindeep (hotsauce)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotsauce/gifts).



> Sequel to "Tex Padalecki and the Statuette of Doom," written for dugindeep's birthday.

"Jensen, you are seriously not gonna say this is my fault."

The ginger-and-cream cat on Jared's lap gave an angry meow, glaring up at him with more intelligence in its green eyes than even a cat usually had.

"Look, just because I dug up the vase, it's not my fault that you touched it when you weren't supposed to."

Pinpricks of pain blossomed on Jared's thigh where the cat's claws were suddenly digging in. "Ow! Okay, so maybe you didn't know you weren't supposed to." Sharp claws dug in again. "Ow! Because I didn't tell you that it was a vase dedicated to the Nubian cat deity. But in my defense, it's just a legend that the vase would turn worshippers into cats when the goddess felt she hadn't been receiving enough tributes."

The cat glared at Jared again. Then it lowered its head and butted Jared right in the groin.

"Ow! Shit, man, be careful!" Jared scooped up the cat with one hand to keep it as far away from his junk as possible. "I would think you'd want to make sure everything down there is in good working condition, considering how you—Oh, right. You're saying that I should have known that legends like that can come true, given how that Malukan statuette bonded us together."

The cat's meow was more gentle that time. He squirmed in Jared's grip, and Jared put him down on the couch. "So do we have colossally bad luck or what, huh?" He started to scratch between the cat's large, pointed ears. "If stuff like this happened all of the time, we would have heard about it somewhere. Even if no one was gutsy enough to publish a paper on it, rumors would get around, you know?" The cat purred, a low thrum under Jared's hand, and he moved from a scratch to a gentle rub. "So there must be something about us that's bad luck, huh?"

The only response he got was the continuing low rumble and the cat's eyes closing, and Jared smiled. "You are an absolutely adorable cat, you know that?"

One green eye opened, then the other, and then Jensen was twisting out from under Jared's hand and leaping down to the floor.

"Jeez, sorry." Jared watched as the cat came to a halt below his wide-screen TV and sat, tail curled primly around his feet. He should have known better than to call him "adorable." Jensen's feathers normally got ruffled any time Jared said anything affectionate to him, as if he wanted to keep believing that it was only the power of an ancient statue that was keeping them together, even after four months of driving back and forth nearly every weekend. It might have been an ancient power that led them to tear each others' clothes off that first time in Jensen's office, but since then, Jared had come to enjoy Jensen's wicked sense of humor and the keen intelligence that he'd always resented when they were rivals. Not to say that they weren't still academic rivals, but he genuinely enjoyed spending time with Jensen, and he knew deep down that Jensen did, too.

Of course, that was before Jared turned him into a cat.

He rubbed his hand over his face. "All right, I'mma take a look at the literature I can find on the Nubians and see what I can't do about reversing this, okay?"

Jensen blinked up at him with his big green cat eyes.

"You, uh, you want some milk or something?"

That got him another glare, followed by a meow that sounded suspiciously like please.

Apparently Jensen remained reluctant to ask for help of any sort no matter what form he was in.

 

Even after becoming a full-fledged, tenured professor a few years ago, Jared still pulled the occasional all-nighter. Unlike in college or grad school, it usually wasn't a matter of meeting deadlines, with the rare exception of a conference paper. Instead, it happened when he got so involved in his work that he didn't notice time was passing, and suddenly the sun was peeking through the blinds in his home office.

Tonight was different. Tonight, Jared had to find something to fix what he'd done. But the more he pored over the reference materials he kept in his office, the journal articles he downloaded from the university library, and even a Google search that led to a whole lot of pictures so-called catwomen that he really hadn't needed to see, he had nothing. Not a thing.

Rubbing his eyes at around 3 A.M., Jared rose from his chair, knees creaking. On his way to the kitchen to brew more coffee, he glanced into the living room. The cat was snuggled up in the recliner where Jensen always sat, tail curled around himself and eyes closed.

Jared crept closer, sinking down onto the floor next to the chair. Holding his breath, he reached out to stroke Jensen's soft fur. The cat made a small noise, but its eyes stayed closed. Jared gave a small smile as he continued to pet him.

His own eyes were growing heavy, and he leaned his head on the seat of the recliner as he continued to stroke Jensen's back. Just a moment to rest his eyes, that's all he needed. Just a moment, and then he'd make more coffee…

Jared woke to a persistent meowing. He blearily opened his eyes and blinked in confusion. Not only had he fallen asleep sitting on the carpet and sprawled up over the recliner, apparently Jensen had moved in his sleep, for he was now tucked under Jared's chin, a warm line against Jared's arm as he meowed inquisitively.

Jared chuckled. "So you like to snuggle after all, huh?"

That got him a reproachful look, but to his delight, Jensen didn't move. "Yeah, I know," Jared said, reaching up to scratch between Jensen's ears. "The sex is just because we have to. That's why you always get up so fast afterwards, right? Probably wouldn't stay the night if it wasn't a ten-hour drive back home, would you?"

The mrow was response was quiet, almost chastened, and Jared eyed the cat more closely. "Jensen?"

The cat nestled closer to him, tucking his head below Jared's chin.

Jared was surprised, but he wasn't going to question it. Maybe being in cat form did make Jensen different from his usual reserved self. "I’m sorry, Jensen," he said, fingers stroking through Jensen's fur. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you that this might happen. I'm sorry I haven't been able to fix it, but I swear to God, I am not giving up until I do. You're too important to me now. I know we used to hate each other's guts, but I…I don't know, I think a lot of it might have been jealousy, you know? Like, it seemed like we should be friends, but instead we were always competing with each other. And that made me want to one-up you more, like it would show you what you were missing out on." Jared trailed off and shook his head. "Wow, I really must be tired. Sorry to ramble on at you like that."

He sat up and looked down at the cat, still curled up beside his arm, but staring up at him steadily like he had been listening all along. Jared gave a small smile. "I'm gonna figure this out, Jensen, I swear. She can't have you. You're mine, you know? And not just because of some stupid statue, or statuette, or whatever. Because I like you. And I need your arrogant, snarky, adorable self around, you hear me?"

"Mrow," the cat said in reply, and in Jared's head, it sounded like, "Me, too."

Suddenly there was a deep rumbling sound, louder than Jensen's purring had been. At first, Jared thought it was a passing train on the tracks on the other side of his building. But this was louder than that, and deeper, like it was coming through his very bones.

There was a flash of light bright enough to make Jared close his eyes. When he opened them, there was a heavy weight on his arm. Jensen—his Jensen, all six-foot-one of him—was sitting on the recliner. And on Jared's arm.

"Jensen!" Jared lunged up and kissed him.

Jensen responded sluggishly, the way he did when he was first waking up. When they broke apart, Jensen blinked. "Jared?"

He cupped Jensen's cheek in one hand. "Yeah?"

"Why am I naked on your recliner? In the middle of the night?"

Jared froze. "You don't remember?"

Jensen's brow furrowed. "I remember being in your office here at home, and there was this vase you had just brought back from South Sudan, and you were saying something about how it was used in worship of this cat deity, but then…" He trailed off and shook his head. "Then it all goes blank."

"Oh." Jared sat back on his heels. "Um. You, um, well, I didn't get out a warning in time to use gloves, and you picked up the vase."

"And then?" Jensen asked, a warning tone in his voice.

"Um. You, um, turned into a cat."

One eyebrow went up. "A cat."

Jared nodded. "A very nice cat."

"Of course I was." Jensen looked down at himself, turning his arms this way and that as if inspecting for damage. "How did you get me back?"

Jared felt his cheeks flushing. "I, um, maybe it just wore off?"

The second eyebrow went up.

He let out a sigh. "I said that she couldn't have you because you were mine. And you agreed."

"You said you needed me."

"You remember?"

Jensen tilted his head to the side. "I thought it was a dream. You said that you needed me, and I…" His own cheeks started to turn pink. "I said that I did, too."

"You meowed it," Jared said seriously.

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming things?" Jensen asked, putting a hand to Jared's forehead.

"Shut up," Jared said, twisting away. "I know what I saw, and you were goddamn adorable."

He expected Jensen to protest, or at least to roll his eyes, but instead he was slinking down the chair so that he was practically sitting in Jared's lap on the floor, snuggled up against him as close as the cat had been. "Damn straight," Jensen muttered, tucking his head under Jared's chin. "Now can we get some sleep?"

Jared laughed and pulled him closer. "We should probably get somewhere more comfortable."

"This is comfy," Jensen muttered into his chest.

"Yeah, I guess so." Jared closed his eyes. At least they could rest like this for a minute or two, he thought.

But in the morning, he was totally giving Jensen a saucer of milk for breakfast.


End file.
